


Obsequium

by sgri_sgri



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Based on a True Story, Clone Wars, Gen, Head Injury, Injury Recovery, Military, My First Work in This Fandom, OC's - Freeform, Post-Invasion, Ryloth - Freeform, Separatists are Horrible People, Twi'leks, and War Sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5598064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgri_sgri/pseuds/sgri_sgri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commander Cody doesn't have a whole lot of experience with children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Obsequium

* * *

_"War isn't hell. War is war and Hell is hell, and between the two, war is a lot worse." "How do you figure that, Hawkeye?" "Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?" "Sinners, I believe." "Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. But war is chock full of them. Little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for a few of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander."_ - **M.A.S.H.**

* * *

 

There were several hellish missions that Cody had been on in his short existence, and Ryloth was one of those that was one he would never like to repeat again, thank you very much. Trying to take the entire planet back from a Separatist invasion that was designed to starve the civilians into submission had been a massive headache on all sides and a longshot he didn’t know if they could pull off.

They had pulled it off in the end, the Jedi and his brothers. The campaign had cost many lives, both civilian and clone, but it had been worth it in the end to see Ryloth liberated.

There had been no resistance after Wat Tambor unconditionally surrendered, making Cody’s life infinitely easier than it had been two days ago. Most of the main clone forces had already been pulled off-planet, but some had stayed behind to help get the Twi’leks back on their feet. The promise General Windu had made to Cham Syndulla was to be honored, and the soldiers would stay no longer than this.

Cody and some of his men had volunteered to stay behind and help find survivors, or recover the bodies of the dead, and it was in the aftermath of the battles, as they patrolled through the ruins, that Cody found himself with arms full of a new problem. Literally.

Commander Cody, officially known as CC-2224 in the Kaminoan records, was a firm and unyielding man, which made him so good at being the marshal commander for the Republic forces. He could handle nearly anything thrown at him with a calm and level head, and somehow always seemed to be the perfect soldier even in the middle of a warzone. It was amazing, and also a little baffling and terrifying to those around him. But, despite his tough commander image, Cody had a kind heart. He would never abandon anyone, brother, civilian or otherwise, if he could help it and when he had the time, he made it a point to visit the wounded in the 212nd division as soon as he had time after the campaigns. He worked hard to not forget the sacrifices his brothers made and to not abuse the power being marshal commander gave him by distancing himself from fighting.

When he found the little girl in the ruins of a liberated village, bleeding massively from a head wound in the rubble, he had immediately called in medical support. He privately had his doubts about her chances of survival, considering how much blood was spilling onto the ground and how starved her body was from the blockade, but she had surprised him when the medics reported that she had pulled through. The tenacity of the children on this planet surprised him; first the little girl who had helped them pull through in the first village they liberated, and now her.

As soon as Cody had a chance to take a break, he had found his way down to the shelters were the sick and wounded Twi’leks of the local areas were being taken care of. His Twi’lek aid had informed him that the little girl he had rescued had been taken there.

“There is, however, one problem we cannot seem to solve.” The medic, Nisik Yluta, explained. He cast a worried glance out over the stretchers and beds filled with sick and wounded Twi’leks. It was far from the pristine standards of Inner Rim hospitals, but it was enough to help them get back on their feet.

“What’s the matter?” Cody asked.

“The girl you recovered, Outeena, cannot sleep. We have given her painkillers and found no source of pain other than her injury, but still she tosses and turns and moans. The lack of sleep is aggravating her wounds and slowing her recovery. Some of others here believe that the ghosts of her family have not been laid to rest and plague her, but their rituals have not helped.”

Cody’s gut reaction argued that wasn’t the case, but multiple campaigns in several parts of the galaxy had led him into contact with a variety of cultures, and many races believed that the dead would haunt the living until they were properly taken care of. Cody didn’t personally believe it, but he wasn’t about to bash the cultures of others. “Were there no survivors from her family?”

Nisik shook his head, green head-tails moving. “None. She alone lives.”

An orphan of war. Cody had seen far too many of those in his short lifetime. “What will become of her?”

“I’m not sure. It’s most likely that one of the families in her village will be willing to take care of her until she is of age.”

At least she would be taken care of. She wasn’t his responsibility officially, but he at least wanted to make sure something was in place for her; it was the least he could do.

“Would I be allowed to see her?” He asked.

The healer smiled at that. “Come with me, Commander. I will take you to her.” And with that, he wove his way through the aisles of people, Cody following behind. His gaze skirted over the many victims of the blockade and his heart ached for them. Yes, he had seen plenty of death and suffering, most often on the faces and bodies of his brothers, but it never made it easier to witness it. Far too many of them were just skin and bones, their starvation impeding their recoveries.

Outeena was located near the back of the large shelter, where many of the adolescents and children had been placed. He found her among them, pink and yellow skin standing out among the blues and greens and tans. She was turned away from them, bandages wrapped carefully around her lekku to protect her vulnerable wound from the outside world. She was shaking on the makeshift cot she was laying on, and as they neared her, Cody could hear whimpering and moaning coming from her. Her eyes were screwed shut in pain.

Nisik crouched next to her, speaking softly in his native tongue to her. Cody knew necessary and important phrases from the major languages outside of Basic, but he had never had enough time to actually learn a language due to the war. All he got from listening to Nisik was “friend”, “soldier,”, “help” and what he assumed was his name, “Co-dee”.

At the mention of him, Outeena’s eyes opened. She responded very quietly to Nisik’s words and her eyes took in the scene around her, widening when she recognized him. He had removed his mask to speak with her when he had first found her; the clones found that the citizens responded better to their care if they could see the faces of the men helping them rather than the impersonal masks they wore. He watched as the girl stubbornly tried to maneuver herself into a sitting position. Immediately, Nisik placed a quelling hand on her shoulder and said something to her, but the girl continued to try and get up.

Privately, Cody had to admit he was impressed; she was a tenacious little bugger.

Nisik shook his head, trying to gently push Outeena back onto the cot as he spoke to her once more, but the girl cut him off. She sounded insistent and Nisik pursed his lips as he glanced between the clone commander and the girl.

“Forgive me, Commander, but she wishes for you to hold her.”

Cody stared at the girl, who had propped herself up on her elbows and was staring back at him. Hold her? Why would she want him to hold her?

“Ah,” he said, at a loss for words. “Nisik, you shouldn’t move her…” he tried to protest.

“Please, Commander. She is insistent. There is no one left that she knows and you are a familiar face. It will be good for her and she won’t rest until you do.”

He hesitated for a moment. He had held children before, mostly when he had been helping carry them out of warzones. But those had been few and far between, leaving him with minimal experience on how to interact with children. It wasn’t something that was covered on Kamino or in military regulations.

 _What’s the harm in holding her?_ A part of his mind whispered.

Finally, he nodded and watched as very gently, Nisik pulled Outeena into his arms and carried her over to him.

In awkward movements, Cody opened his arms to take her and automatically shifted his weight to balance Outeena against his arms and chest. Two small arms wrapped around his neck, anchoring her to him. She was older than the girl Waxer and Boiler had met, but due to the starvation her people had endured, she was far lighter than she should have been. It shouldn’t have been this easy to hold her.

Very carefully, he wrapped his arms around her, afraid that even the slightest amount of pressure could harm her. “Nisik, what if I hurt her?” He asked.

“It’s alright, Commander. Just be cautious with her head and back.” Nisik assured him.

Well then. _C’mon, Cody, say something!_

“Uh, hello again.” He mentally winced. He had no idea what to say, especially since he knew she didn’t understand basic. If only his brothers could see the great Commander Cody at a loss for words; no one would believe it otherwise. He could almost hear Rex chuckling in the back of his mind.

“ _You can handle a legion of clankers with no back up, no problem, but a kid freaks you out? You amaze me sometimes._ ”

Outeena spoke something, so softly and weakly he almost didn’t hear it if she hadn’t been right next to his ear. One of her hands reached up to touch the scar on his face, tracing the rough skin with a feather-light touch. He froze in surprise at the unexpected touch. Nobody usually touched his scar.

She gave a soft sigh, burrowing deeper into his chest and laying her head on his shoulder. “Co-dee,” she murmured, and a few moments later, her breathing began to even out in a pattern he recognized as sleep.

Neither man moved, one very perplexed and the other disbelieving.

“This is the first time she has slept.” Nisik told Cody, eyes wide as he stared at Outeena. “How did you do it, Commander?”

“I…I don’t know…” Cody stammered, staring down at the sleeping girl in surprise.

“Amazing.” Nisik murmured, speaking a few more words Cody didn’t catch. His fingers skimmed over the bandaging on her head, checking to make sure it hadn’t been dislodged.

Cody didn’t say anything, trying to understand why she had decided to fall asleep in his arms of all places instead of one of her own people or on the cot. The armor couldn’t be comfortable to lean against, and he was not a particularly touchy person, preferring to keep his physical contact to touches on shoulders, handshakes or other simple forms of contact. He found himself at a complete loss for what to do with an armful of sleeping child.

He had come to visit her and check up on her. Mission accomplished; now it was time to return and help Kenobi and the other generals clear out, to return to back to something that was familiar and what he understood.

“Here,” Cody finally said, shifting her in his arms to give Outeena back to Nisik. “She needs to lay down and I need to return back to base.” Well, he didn’t _need_ to considering Kenobi had given him (or rather, ordered) some downtime, but Nisik didn’t know that. The Twi’lek nodded, reaching out his arms to take her back.

Blue eyes suddenly flew open at the movement and Outeena began to struggle and moan, struggling to reach back to Cody as Nisik took her.

“Outeena,” Cody tried to calm her. He was much stronger than her, especially in her starved form, but he found himself unable to truly counter her weak attempts to reach him. “You need to rest. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep moving.” Nisik was also speaking, most likely saying the same things as him in her native language.

The girl would have none of it; she began to thrash and cry and fight to get out of Nisik’s arms. The healer looked imploringly at Cody.

“Sir, would you be willing to hold her again? She needs to rest and she will hurt herself if she keeps this up.”

Cody hesitated. He had no urgent business calling him back to base for a few hours now, but…he had no idea what he was doing. He didn’t know how to help a child.

But she needed him, apparently.

He sighed. “Yes.” _Why me, kid?_

Nisik was quick to shift the moaning child back into his arms. As soon as Outeena came back into contact with Cody, her moans fell quiet. Wide eyes stared back at him and little hands, given strength through adrenaline or whatever was the Twi’lek equivalent was, grasped his armor as tightly as she could manage.

The message was clear: don’t let her go again.

“Hey, it’s okay now.” Force, he sounded so _awkward_. Commander Cody didn’t do awkward; he needed to be strong and capable and calm under any situation. The lives of his brothers depended on it. “It’s okay, I’m not leaving.”

Outeena didn’t seem to believe him, judging by the way she held onto his armor like she was magnetized to it.

“Here, Commander, come sit.” Nisik gestured to a chair. “She will get heavy after a while.” Cody nodded, pausing for a moment when Outeena whimpered at his movements and held on even tighter.

“It’s okay, I’m just going to sit.” He assured her, trying to keep his tone gentle and calm. “I can’t hold you standing up forever.”

Outeena showed no outward understanding of what he was saying, whimpering and clasping as tightly as she could to his armor. It wasn’t until he became still that she finally began to relax. She took far longer to drop off to sleep this time, cautious about letting her guard drop in case Cody decided to leave again. But exhaustion wore her mind and body down and eventually, those eyes slipped close and her breathing evened out again.

It was now official: he was going to be here for the long haul.

“I wonder…” Nisik murmured as he watched the commander and the girl. He said a few more things, but they were in his native tongue and too low for Cody to catch anything. “You must be ‘safe’ to her, Commander.”

“Because I found her?” Cody asked dubiously, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t wake her up. “She only just met me. How am I ‘safe’?”

Nisik shrugged. He didn’t have the answer any more than Cody did.

The two men stood in silence for a moment, watching the young girl as she slept peacefully in Cody’s arms and contemplating possibilities. “Commander,” Nisik finally said. “I have others who need my aid. By your leave…?”

“Yes. I’ll let you know if anything happens.” Cody assured him. _It’s not like I can go anywhere right now_.

Nisik nodded, smiling faintly at the commander. “If you have need of anything, just summon one of the healers and they will help you.” He bowed slightly before he turned and disappeared into the sea of injured and sick.

Cody contained the sigh he wanted to let out. The urge to do something productive itched at him, but he stubbornly suppressed it. This girl needed sleep, and somehow, if she could only find it with him, then he could be patient enough to make sure that she got what she needed.

His mind began to wander as he looked down at her. Not for the first time in the last few days he wondered why it had come to this, to using the natives of the planet as living shields and hostages against the Republic. These were the very people that needed to be out of harm’s way the most, instead of directly in its path.

Clones were meant to be shot at, meant to be the focus of attack. Their distinctive white armor was easy to identify no matter where you went in the galaxy. It protected the civilians and the innocents from getting hurt, but as Cody had learned, this was very rarely was the case. The civilian casualties in some cases outstripped the clone casualties, like here on Ryloth. The Separatists didn’t care how many innocents died to achieve their goals, and would gladly destroy whole worlds to assert their authority.

Cody pushed that line of thinking elsewhere in his mind. Waxing philosophical on the fairness of life and war wasn’t productive and led to his thoughts around in circles until he had a headache. He would let General Kenobi and the other Jedi be the ones to ponder the great mysteries of the universe and the Force while he helped lead the clones into battle.

He led his head fall back against the chair, exhaustion pulling at every part of his body now that he was finally sitting still for longer than five minutes. He may be a clone warrior created from the genetic template of one of the galaxy’s finest bounty hunters and among the best of the clones, but even he had his limits and Ryloth had pushed him to his. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept more than a few hours at a time before some disaster had needed his attention.

Maybe Outeena had the right idea about catching some sleep. Part of him hesitated to drop his guard and fall asleep in such an open and vulnerable area with people he didn’t know, but another part, quiet persuasively, was arguing that it would only be for a short amount of time and he would be alerted by the commlink if anyone needed him.

It would only be for a short amount of time, he assured himself as he let his eyelids close. Just for a moment…

* * *

 

Nisik returned some time later, smiling softly to himself when he spotted a peacefully sleeping clone commander with a small, equally peaceful Twi’lek girl in his arms among a sea of injured and sick.

He would return later, he decided, when they had just a little more shut-eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Whooo, I have such an original title: obsequium is service in Latin. But no title jumped out at me for this story and my sister suggested it, so I’m going for it. Anyway, this story poked me between the eyes over Christmas break after watching the Force Awakens, and since I have a lot of clone feels going on right now, I went for it. I couldn't get the story to come out the way I wanted it to, but hopefully this is enjoyable to read.
> 
> This story is based off of the story of the Chief Master Gebhardt who slept four nights in the hospital so that a little girl who had survived an execution of her family in the Middle East could sleep, since she wouldn't sleep unless he was holding her. This is also my first Star Wars fanfic, so I apologize for any errors or problems.
> 
> And, as always, if you have any questions, come drop by my Tumblr! I would love to walk with you guys!
> 
> May the Force be with you.


End file.
